On a normal day, how do you pay for items?

[mdrob214]

I use cash and credit card. CC for online purchases and gas and groceries. Cash for everything else. I get a set amount each week and when it's gone--no more spending til next Friday!

 

[bookgirl]

I don't actually spend a ton on everyday things...I work during the day and bring my lunch.

If I'm running errands I may get a drink/snack/meal. Mostly pay cash occasionally use debit.

If I'm grocery shopping/picking up big items then debit card and cash combo depending on the amount.


Online I use a rewards CC which I pay off when the bill arrives.

Mostly I prefer cash.


I put other.

 

[josh29]

We use a CC for everything in order to max out our rewards. Sometimes I might have the same 20 dollar bill in my wallet for a week or two. We always pay off the bill each month.

Us too. This is the right answer.

Credit cards are more secure than debit cards. If stolen, your credit card liability is usually $0 (or no more than $50), so the CC company gets to fight any battles regarding lost/stolen cards. If your debit card gets stolen, your checking account could be emptied, and the bank may not replenish funds until after investigation (if they do at all).

Cash is too risky to be lost. Also, using a credit card allows you to see all your monthly purchases as well as review them with your spouse. So, for example, we can both see if I spent $4/day on Starbucks. If I used cash, it would just be gone and we wouldn't see it to be able to track (and cut expenses).

Also, whether you use Cash Back (like with Discover) or rewards, you'll actually earn more for using your card.

There's also other perks -- Visa Signature gives you an extra year warranty on any purchases with the card, covers rental car auto insurance, and lost luggage for trips, among other things... All good to have, and most people don't realize or take advantage of these.

Like the previous posters said, the key is to make sure you can pay it off every month.

(something tells me the people who DON'T do this are the ones who won't be reading the budget board section of the dis boards )

 

[mirage0306]

Disney visa.

 

[The 4 "Quay"balleros]

We use a CC for everything in order to max out our rewards. Sometimes I might have the same 20 dollar bill in my wallet for a week or two. We always pay off the bill each month.

Yup that's us too! We use Discover and the Disney Visa. Discover has 5% cash back quarterly specials and great on-line cash back (I bought my new contacts using the 1800contacts link through Discover and got 10% cash back) Disney Visa occasionally has extra rewards and when they do we max them out

 

[tnd]

All credit cards, all the time. I never pay with a debit card because I am much more concerned that a thief would gain access to my bank account than that he might get access to a credit card. I seldom carry much more than $20 on me, so I pay for small things with cash.

I pay off my credit cards every month and don't pay interest. I also only use cash-back or rewards credit cards. Between my husband and my Disney cards (separate accounts), we have $600 in rewards to spend on our trip next week. We also get several hundred dollars back from our Costco Amex cards each year.

 

[Natalie's Mommy]

i use my discover card for everything possible! gotta get those cash back points. it has the lowest interest rate and i can pay it off as many times a month as id like

 

[RooRach0906]

We use our Disney Visa for everything except Sam's(Discover card there)! I do carry a couple dollars cash because we do have some local shops that will not do credit for under $10. We pay off our Visa twice or more a month. The Discover gets paid as soon as it post, we don't go to Sam's much anymore. Like others have said we love maxing our rewards!

I have a debit card but I only use it at the ATM, I think I might get it changed to just a ATM card.

 

[Tiger926]

Credit cards all of the time - pay in full each month (they all are autodebited from our household bank account), no interest, and get either points or cash back in the form of cheques. Love getting free money each year, free insurance, and free warranties on our products!

Never use debit, unless an emergency, and never carry cash, and hubby is a banker!

Tiger

 

[disneysnowflake]

Our bank hasn't made any fee changes yet, but DH and I talked out getting out of the debit card using cycle. We're going to use either cash or our Discover.

DH must still be in the debit habit because in the last 2 days he's used his debit card 3 times.

 

[candykisses]

That's pretty much me as well. Although I usually have more cash in my wallet. I don't own or want a debit card.

This is me also.

 

[Planogirl]

I use my Bank of America debit card but use it as a credit card if I buy gas or go into a convenience store. BoA doesn't charge debit fees but if that changes then I'll have to do something different I suppose...

My debit card has a rounding up reward system that I like. I round up when I keep track and the bank rounds up and puts the money into a savings account. I routinely track the balance, usually daily, and caught some fraudulent charges immediately when DH's debit was used by someone. His bank immediately reimbursed him and put a stop to the charges. I think that it's wise to monitor all accounts daily.

 

[ICF]

CC's for everything....

Never used a debit card and seldom have more than $20 - $30 on me at any given time.

 

[Tink-aholic]

I use my credit card for everything...including paying all of my household bills with it. I am saving up my rewards to take my son to Europe next summer!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Other - Shoplifting!

 

[C.Ann]

Depending upon the purchase, cash or debit card.. I really prefer to use cash - whenever possible - but today I needed to order a few things online, so I used my rewards debit card (the one that is strictly for online purchases)..

 

[rer1972]

Cash is king!!!

 

[thebeesknees]

I use my CC for everything to get the rewards, then we pay it off in full at the end of the month. I never have more than a few bucks in cash on me - DH always wants to deposit any cash we get to earn the interest, so I only have about $5 with me at any given time.

 

[canopynut66]

This is a totally unscientific poll. Based on the news that Wells fargo is testing a new "debit card" fee and I'm a cynic I believe banks are like airline companies, once one institutes a "fee" it's only a matter of time before the rest of the herd follow suit.

So how do you pay for your normal every day life? Do you carry cash? Do you mainly use your debit card? do you use mainly your credit cards?

I use my debit card for just about every thing. rarely do I have more than 10 bucks in my pocket.

Agree with you rarely have cash on me anymore as use the debit card BUT can go back to cash or checks if they start the fee at my bank. and your right one bank starts it they all will

 

[Lumiere Lover]

Interchange rates are dropping for the banks, so instead of getting fee income from business owners (who initiated the transaction and who should pay it) people will not be paying these fees. I am not happy, because I live and die by my debit card. I do not like charging groceries or gas, I prefer to get those funds out of my account right away. If my credit union starts charging for debit card transactions, I will use my Disney Visa for all purchases.